JanetAnne

Well it is a hump back bridge I suppose

Yes, do tell, please

I darent smoke one young man, by the sounds of it you'd be foolish to get near one with a naked flame!!

I'd have a copy!

I suspect many people think that their unused bottle can stay in the shed when they were charged £40 odd to get it initially and calor want it back for free (although they are admittedly currently offering £7.50 a bottle or 1/6th of what they charged you to lend it to you in the first place! Mine will be staying in the shed.

Absolutely. Couldn't resist... sorry

Its not all blokes Vaughan. This one is down to a (then) 19 year old girl as Barry etc will verify. The varnish was Ronseal Yacht varnish before it got health and safety'd and became 'outdoor' varnish. We loved the stuff! The white paint is good old Dulux.

There comes a time when the purchase of varnish needs to occur. With so many options now out there its seems every manufacturer and supermarket have their own version which is obviously better than all the rest, will last the life of the planet and is such a good deal they cant hold the offer for much longer for fear of bankruptcy. We seem to have become a minefield of information and promises that, once your pride and joy is covered in the stuff, you hope were in earnest. We have recently been using Witham's Flexible Yacht Varnish and have been thrilled with it but, unfortunately, EEC legislation has led to its withdrawal because it no longer meets the VOC content requirements. And so we have a dilemma. We need something not two pack or epoxy based, just good old fashioned oil based multicoat varnish. It needs to be able to make mahogany look good enough to drool over! My question is... (see, you knew I'd get there eventually), which varnish do you use and why? Is Le Tonkinois worth the money, does Schooner really last, is Wilkinsons finest really able to do what it says on the tin? You get the idea. Any and all comments welcome but no, we cant go and buy a plastic boat - used all the budget on woodworm food for the wooden one Peeps

It's not the posts that are the problem, it's the gaps between them that people keep sneaking through....

Oops, missed that bit! There were three deep v hulls produced at 40ft for sea going use. Two of these had the standard superstructure and the third was built as a large corniche. The hull mould had a false bottom insert that converted it to river use with a shallow bottom and keel. No 45's were built as sea going.

25 Ideal 40's and 22 Ideal 45's No, the moulds are not in the stuff still at Rackheath.

What you need is an accumulator tank young Tim. If you can fit a demijohn type airlock to the tank in question you should be able to syphon all that, now flammable, hot air and collect it in the accumulator tank. With some careful plumbing this will allow you to direct said hot air to your hob giving you free gas for your cooking needs. Once its all installed, the space saved by no longer needing the more conventional gas cylinders can be turned into a 'safe area' where, with careful use of armour plating, you can protect yourself should the sh contents of the tank become too volatile. Hope this helps?

Beautifully put agreed Just to add, we have one of our tanks just over 12ft away from the loo. Never been a problem - so far! Someone mentioned smell from pipe and the more pipe you have the more smell is possible. Have a look at the Butyll hose from ASAP (I'm sure its available elsewhere as well). This stuff is brilliant. Very easy to use and seals perfectly. Not a whiff in use which is a vast improvement over the commonly used white plastic based hose.

1- Remember to move the dinghy currently tied to the bow back to the transom after leaving your stern on moorings or you could run it over... Fortunately for the people involved its painter broke and it popped out the side before it went right over. 2- Once the roof and screens are down for the bridge check the tv aerial as well. 3- If other river users are pointing as well as waving try to work out why. We all look at each others boats as we pass and will see things the helm may not be aware of - a trailing rope, the dinghy is sinking, the kids are hanging off the bow trying to kick the bow wave etc. If someone is pointing meaningfully and nobody is stood on your bow in a mankini then its worth checking what they are trying to tell you. Just a walk round the decks saved us a rope round the prop when one of the stern ropes had fallen from its coil. Somebody passing pointed it out to us.

That name underneath the chap looks like a caption! Or a suggestion?

They are already on in QD's! There is a 6ft Santa singing carols in their window as well. Has been for a fortnight...

A very good point sir. And there are many businesses and individuals who rely on the non boating visitors for their very existence. Not sure what there will be left to visit should the tolls paid for the right to navigate dry up with the loss of the actual navigation though?

If I am playing sardines on a mooring my fenders stay up! You rarely need two boats worth in the one space between them and repairing wooden decks when the fender eyes have been ripped out is far more work than we need.

I meant on broads boats Trev. In fact, a couple of years ago, a chap was selling loads of 12v Eberspacher heaters, fridges and assorted other stuff at the Norwich Boat Jumble. I think it was Barnes Brinkcrafts van behind him. It was certainly all ex hire boat from upgrades to 24v. We had a couple of heaters and were well pleased with them.

24v is far more common than you would think. Basically, and somewhat crudely, if you double the volts you half the amps so everything runs a bit cooler and safer. Wiring thicknesses are reduced because the loads are halved and so it all gets a bit cheaper as well.

Just what we need, more walkways so we can all walk to the broads and point at what we once navigated on! Access is not a problem, there are plenty of boats. It's the broads, a water based activity centre ideally accessed by boat. And don't forget the damage we can save the environment by not shipping in all those chippings and signage.

Its a lovely run to Beccles with not only a choice of boatyards to have your pump out done (Hippersons and Derbys) but you can also arrive back at Oulton Broad with fully charged batteries without gassing the rest of the Oulton Broad Yacht Station residents.

So, if I read Timbo's most excellent explanation correctly, more boats out on the network mixing the upper and lower layers of the water would be beneficial to the clarity of the rivers and broads? Now that sounds like a plan!

The Waveney is clear from North Cove to Geldeston, though Geldeston is usually clear all year, and has been pretty much since mid August. You can certainly see the bottom in the yacht station, it needs dredging by the way! And welcome from me Mr Dredger sir!

But then we wouldn't get those excellent holiday tales as they happen. And I just replied to this sat in Beccles Yacht Station...